Whatever Happened to Albus Dumbledore?
by Hamm On Wry
Summary: Part of my The Best Defense AU. Follows HBP. Albus Dumbledore is dead.. or is he? His portrait is still sleeping, he is not in Paradise. The story continues.
1. The End of the Beginning

_Disclaimer: All material by JKR is credited, the characters and places that you recognize are hers, only the plot here is mine. I make nothing from her genius…dammit!_

**Chapter 1**

**The End of the Beginning**

"_Severus….."_

_The sound frightened Harry beyond anything he had experienced all evening. For the first time, Dumbledore was pleading. _

_Snape said nothing, but walked forward and pushed Malfoy roughly out of the way. The three Death Eaters fell back without a word. Even the werewolf seemed cowed._

_Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face._

"_Severus…please…"_

_Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore._

**_Avada Kedavra!"_**

_A jet of green light shot from the end of Snape's wand and hit Dumbledore squarely in the chest. Harry's scream of horror never left him; silent and unmoving, he was forced to watch as Dumbledore was blasted into the air. For a split second, he seemed to hang suspended beneath the shining skull, and then he fell slowly backward, like a great rag doll, over the battlements and out of sight. _

_From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" Copyright 2005 by J.K. Rowling First American Edition Pages 595-596_

**When** the spell hit me, I was thrown back and off the battlements. I only had time to cushion the blow before I hit the ground, hard enough to bounce. The last thought that I had before everything went black was that Harry was going to have the wrong idea of what happened and that Severus was doomed by my request.

I came to a few minutes later, but I was watching from outside my body. I saw Fawkes crying tears over my wounds and broken bones. I appeared to be dead, but not having been dead before, I had no real frame of reference. I did know that Fawkes would not be wasting his precious tears on a corpse. I sent out with my mind and felt the psychic connection take hold. The silly bird decided that I was not only not dead, but was in a healing stasis. I had broken almost every bone in my body. My poor friend used up every tear in his body trying to heal my many wounds. My personal feeling was that it would be too little, too late. I was actually looking forward to joining my deceased friends and relatives, my war had gone on way too long. Unfortunately this was not to be.

Suddenly Fawkes turned invisible and flew off as Hagrid appeared and gently picked up my body, shedding as many tears as Fawkes had. I wished to reach out to him to comfort him, but I was as insubstantial as one of the Hogwarts ghosts, and without even their visibility. Obviously I was not a ghost, but what was I? If not dead, then what? I followed Hagrid into the castle, feeling for some reason that I could not allow my body out of my sight. Very annoying, I had hoped to be able to roam at will, but it seems that I had some strange restriction on my movements. As he laid my body down inside the castle, Sir Nicholas drifted by. I attempted to speak with him, but had no success. I reached out and made contact with Fawkes, apparently the only one with whom I could interact.

Fawkes had been following Severus and Draco as they made their escape from Hogwarts. He wanted to do something very nasty to them, but I dissuaded him from that action. I thought back to our confrontation on the tower such a short time ago. When I had gotten Severus' attention, I had sent out a loud psychic call and made the connection with Severus. We have had such a close relationship over so many years, that it has never been a problem mentally bonding. I quickly asked him was happening. His reply startled me beyond words. He showed me a memory of himself making the unbreakable vow to Narcissa, promising to protect Draco and complete his mission should he prove unable. Severus had no idea that the mission was to kill me. He was preparing himself to die, but to me, the answer was much more clear. He would have to kill me.

"_Severus, you must save yourself and young Malfoy. I believe that he can be salvaged, and I am dying as we speak. I recovered something of great value to Voldemort, but I was required to drink a deadly poison in order to recover it. I know of no antidote for this, and will be dead before morning anyway. Please, Severus, do this thing for our friendship."_

"_Albus, I cannot. You are the father I never had, and the only one who ever trusted me. You are my one and only friend, how can I kill you? If you are truly dying, I would rather break the vow and die with you." _

"_Severus, please. If you do not do this thing, Draco's life will be forfeit. He is worth saving. You will also be able to help defeat Voldemort in ways that he cannot dream of."_

I saw the look of hatred and revulsion on Severus' face, but it was not for me, it was for Voldemort. He turned around and stalked back, then turned and, with emotions battling on his face, cast the deadly curse. The strange thing was that he could not use his hatred toward Voldemort to power the killing properties of the curse aimed at me. As he cast the curse, I heard a last thought from his mind.

"_I will join you soon, my only friend"_

For the next few days I stood in the room where my body lay while people came to pay their respects. People who I liked and liked me, and the others, those who hated me and wanted to make sure that I was really dead. I decided that it was a singularly satisfying thing to be able to attend one's own funeral. I highly recommend it to anyone who might be planning their demise. The worst part of the entire affair was that I was unable to enjoy any sweets during this period. If this went on much longer, I would be inclined to believe that I might be in hell. My heart went out to those who I have come to regard as friends. Harry, Minerva, Hagrid and the Weasleys. I could not comfort them, they seemed beyond normal grief. I discovered that the love of these people and their grief made me believe that my life was well worth having been lived.

The day of the funeral, I felt a sudden urge to rejoin my body. As I fell into its' depths, I saw the tomb float over to seal me in and felt the world go black once more. I knew nothing else for a long, long time.

A/N: I had originally meant this to be a one-shot, but it has taken on a life of it's own. I will probably end up with several chapters. Please R&R!


	2. Catching up

_Disclaimer: JKR owns the game and the ball. She set up the play, I just grabbed the Quaffle and ran it through a hoop that I conjured on the sidelines._

**Chapter 2**

**Catching up**

_Darkness_

I awoke with a start. I knew exactly where I was, I was in my tomb. I felt around in my pocket to reach my wand, found it and, with a voice unused in several months, spoke.

"_**Lumos!"**_

As the light flooded the sepulture, I took stock of my condition. I was hungry, but other than that, I was in surprisingly good health for a dead person. I suppose Fawkes was correct, I need to pay more attention to him. Even my arm had healed. I reached out and felt the connection with Fawkes. I felt his great joy as he picked up the connection. I decided to leave the tomb, however the wards were very complicated, and I really did not feel like studying them at this point. Fawkes picked up on this and, with a flash, appeared in front of me. I took hold of his tail and asked him to take me someplace I would not be recognized.

The next instant I found myself in a house that I recognized very easily. It was Malfoy Manor, but it looked as if it had not been inhabited in quite a while. Most of the furnishings had been removed, and there were signs of a hasty exit. Even the Malfoy house elves were gone. I wandered through the house until I came across a box of Honeyduke's chocolates. With a sigh of contentment, I settled down on the floor in a corner to assess my situation.

Most importantly, I sensed that Severus was dead. This is what had lifted the remnants of his spell from me. I wondered how it had happened, and hoped that he had not suffered. In another time, I would grieve for him, but for now I needed to find out what was happening in the world without being discovered. I was sure that the war was not over, it could not happen that easily. I had no idea of the date, and had no plan of action. This would come after I was able to gather my resources together. It was time to catch up on what I missed.

Summoning Fawkes, I explained to him that I would need him to transport me so that no one at the ministry would discover my magical signature should I apparate. He trilled in agreement, seeing the wisdom in staying incognito at least until I could discover what circumstances Harry and the Order were in. I had Fawkes transport me to my cottage in Brighton.

I looked around, satisfied. The cottage had not been discovered during my absence. Since Fawkes was not limited by human magic, he transported me inside the wards. I tested them to make sure they were intact and found them in good condition. I asked Fawkes to go out and convince an owl to assist me. He returned a few minutes later with a very peeved looking barn owl which agreed to carry my request to the Daily Prophet. I tied a pouch with a galleon onto his leg along with a note, gave him an owl treat and sent him off. I would soon have several back issues of the Prophet to help me catch up on news.

When the owl returned several hours later, he was not alone. There were two other owls assisting him in carrying a large pouch with several back issues of the Prophet. There was also another owl who was carrying a letter. I relieved all of the owls of their burdens, then gave them all treats and released them. The original barn owl decided to stay in the area in the event that I should need him. I gave him an extra owl treat, and he took up residence on my porch under an eave. Setting down the newspapers, I took the letter and read it with surprise.

_**Albus Dumbledore**_

_**The Hidden Cottage**_

_**Brighton**_

_Dear Mr. Dumbledore:_

_Following your apparent death several months ago, the Ministry attempted to seize your assets, claiming that you had no surviving relatives. Your brother has been incapacitated for several months due to being attacked by Death Eaters on the night you were assumed dead. He is currently in the long-term care section of St. Mungo's. _

_Since you have not made an announcement of your resurrection, we have assumed that you do not wish for your condition to become public. In this vein, we have informed the ministry that we have frozen your assets in order to pay for the care of your brother as per your instructions. We will hold your status in full confidence, and would like to offer you the option of moving the bulk of your accounts to an offshore branch which would be untouchable by the Ministry. We can, of course, open this account under any name you wish to use. Please reply with your wishes in this matter._

_Yours in service,_

_Grimcastle,_

_Personal Account Manager,_

_Gringott's Bank_

To say I was flummoxed would be an understatement. While everyone else believed me dead, Gringotts had ignored the obvious and had not been fooled. I smiled a bit as I thought of the Ministry being foiled in their attempts to steal my money and leave poor Alberforth destitute. Well, this could be taken care of simply. I quickly wrote a note to Grimcastle, making arrangements, summoned Fawkes, and sent him to Gringotts with the message. I didn't send the owl, too much danger in him being intercepted. I then took the stack of newspapers and began to read.

Two hours later I set down the last paper. The news had been mixed. The paper had confirmed the death by execution of Severus. It seems that he had been driven insane and probably did not even know that he was going to his death. With a sharp pain of sadness, I vowed to someday clear his name, however this was not the time. The other interesting news was that Harry had dropped out of sight, and the rumors were flying. No one seemed to know where he was, and anyone who might was not speaking about it. There was also an article claiming that his cousin had dropped out of sight soon after Harry did. His parents thought he was at University, but the reporter had verified that it was not true. I hoped that if this was part of Minerva's plan that the press would not foul it up.

The biggest shock was that Hogwarts, my beloved Hogwarts, was to be closed for the next school year. This is something that had not happened since the founding. Even during the darkest hours, the school was the one constant in the wizarding world. The other surprise was the expose of Tom Riddle. I mentally commended the journalist for his bravery. It seems that someone was turning up the heat on this particular Dark Lord, hoping to separate him from his source of recruits. Whoever thought of this deserved a promotion, should they live through it.

Just then, Fawkes flashed into the room carrying some papers from Gringotts for me to fill out. Taking them from him. I asked him to shadow Minerva McGonagall and bring back whatever information he could discover. He trilled assent and flashed back out of the cottage.

Fawkes had been a veritable font of information. Since I sent him to shadow Minerva and the other members of the Order, he had more than fulfilled my wildest expectations. For starters, it seems that everyone is confused about my status, since my portrait is still slumbering. I decided that I would leave them that way. Fawkes had brought me the basics of Minerva's plan, and it was a good one. I would have never dared to come up with something so audacious. There was much more to Minerva McGonagall than met the eye.

The bad news was the crisis that had made this particular plan necessary. The fact that Harry was being driven insane by Voldemort and had to be put in the same sort of stasis that I had been in was particularly disturbing. My heart went out to him, but I saw that it would not be in the best interest of either Harry or the Wizarding world for me to interfere. If it looked like there would be problems with the plan, then there would be time for me to give my opinion.

I already knew about young Mr. Dursley being a bound wizard, however I never believed that he would ever be an asset to the wizarding world with his background and prejudices. It just goes to show how wrong a person can be and still be revered. Minerva's idea to fast track his training under the American wizards Jack Stevenson and Pablo Morales was nothing short of brilliant. I had heard of these two gentlemen by reputation, but I never dreamed of attempting to involve them in this war. I wondered where Minerva had met the two. Probably on one of her holidays to the colonies. I wondered what they would be teaching Harry, this was something that Minerva would not speak of to anyone, just that the training was going according to plan.

I was quite amused when Fawkes recounted the story of Mr. Dursley receiving his wand from Olivander's shop, blasting a hole in the floor that, according to Fawkes, "you could throw a cat through". The mental image that this presented was such that I began laughing, unable to stop. It felt good. It had been so long since I have had a good belly shaking laugh that I realized just how much I missed it. This war had dragged on through 3 cycles of Hogwarts student, and it was high time that we were able to find some enjoyment in life. Even during the time that Voldemort was incapable of action, his cadre of Death Eaters had been working quietly behind the scenes to destroy everything that was good in our world. His return had only exacerbated the situation and given them someone to rally behind.

The weeks in the cottage was also a time for some serious introspection. Years ago I had gotten interested in the study of ethics, and in particular two muggle philosophers named John Stuart Mills and Emmanuel Kant. It seems that most people unconsciously use parts of either one of their ethical systems or the other, unable to really join the two opposing systems into one. I came away from those studies with a new respect for the people of the non-magical world. Our world had never seen the importance of ethical systems, we had light and dark magic and the wielders of those magics. True ethics never really came into serious study.

The system of Mills, called Utilitarianism, was a very cold, calculating system, one that would serve a Ravenclaw or Slytherin well. To boil it down into two concepts, it would read, 'The most good for the most people', and 'the end justifies the means'. The Kantian system however, takes every rational being and forbids doing wrong to them, even if it results in unwitting harm to others. With Kant, you are only responsible to the individual. I always agreed more with Kant than I did Mills.

I realized with a shock however, that no matter how I treated others, I had used Utilitarianism on Harry. I had known from before the time of his birth that he would play a pivotal role in the war against Voldemort, and when he defeated Tom at the tender age of one, I did not treat him as I would have another. That was the reason that I did not have him grow up with a wizarding family, instead of subjecting him to years of abuse under his muggle relatives. He was not really _real_ to me, he was a tool that would save our world, much like I had to do fifty years previous. I gave him just enough information as to keep him in the dark about my real motives. That is also the reason that I put so much protection around the Dursley house. Harry had to grow up to fight on, even if he was an unwilling soldier. I knew that Voldemort had not died in Godric's Hollow, had I been, Harry could have had a normal childhood with people who would have loved and nurtured him. It was only his inherent goodness that allowed him to think as highly of me as he did. Had he known my true motivations, he would not been faulted had he spit on my tomb.

In my shame, I realized that one fact shone through. In spite of everything that I had done, in spite of the childhood that I had stolen from him, I had, against my cold, calculating will, began to love him. He was the son I never had. And I mourned for the loss of innocence that he had undergone. Harry had gone beyond being a talented wizard and, through luck and skill, had become 'The Boy Who Lived'. I wondered what the 'other' Harry would have been like.

In this, Minerva had also outshone me. From what I had gathered from Fawkes, she was holding nothing back from Harry. The messages being sent back and forth between herself and Jack Stevenson showed that she was being completely honest with Harry, treating him as a rational human being, not as a symbol or a tool. _"Truly, my day has passed", _I thought. _"I do know that there must be something that they will need help on, but I will have to bide my time, this is Minerva and Harry's show now."_

A week later I got the news that I had been waiting for. Harry and his cousin, Dudley had returned from America, and were living at Hogwarts with the other members of the group that would be essential in defeating Voldemort. Using the psychic connection through Fawkes, with him sitting quietly invisible to all, I 'sat in' on one of their strategy meetings. I was amazed with what I heard. The plan was somewhat rough, but all in all, it was absolutely brilliant, and moreover, I would never have been able to come up with it, so bound was I to traditional wizarding warfare. I saw only one flaw in the plan, and that was Voldemort's use of Giants in a final attack. In this realization, I knew what I must do. I would work behind the scenes to make sure that there would be no interference from that quarter. This was something that I could do without letting anyone know that I was still alive.

The other item that interested me was the Native American Indian sweat lodge that Harry was building at Godric's Hollow. The very concept greatly excited me, being as old as I am. In our culture, we have very little idea of what lays on the other side of life. Other cultures do not seem to have this handicap, and I believe that we could learn much from them. I made a vow to myself to visit this structure as soon as possible.

A/N: If some of this seems unfamiliar to you, that is because it is part of the Alternate Universe I built around my story, _"The Best Defense"._ I strongly suggest that you read that one first, then all of my other stories will make sense.


	3. Recon

_I decided that in this period while waiting for my surgery, I would do some cutting and pasting of chapters I already finished on other sites and bring them here. This will probably be the last update on this story until after the first of the year. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 3**

**Recon**

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
Office of the Headmistress_

I had been standing in a corner of the office under my invisibility cloak for quite a while as I listened in on a conference between Minerva, Hermione Granger, and Harry. The time had come for Harry to begin destroying Riddle's Horcruxes. To say I was interested in just how this would be done was an understatement. I had destroyed one and had almost lost my arm in the process. I wondered how Harry would manage to destroy so many without losing his life.

It seems that Miss Granger had come up with a plan, one that I had not counted on. When I heard the details, I became very excited. Harry was finally going to use the power that was bestowed upon him by his late mother. The plan was good, but something was missing. I thought that I knew what it was and how it should be added into the equation.

Do not mistake my last words as mere phrasing, it was an equation. Three is the most potent number when affecting a spell or potion. This spell of _"love"_ that they would be using had the power of 'love through family', wielded by Dudley Dursley and backed up by the residue of Lily Potter's sacrifice. The 'love of friends' would be wielded by Miss Granger and Mr. Ron Weasley. The missing factor was 'love of spouse or mate'. Harry had not made that commitment to his intended. This must be rectified in order to make the spell effective. I somehow needed to relay this information to Harry without him knowing how he had received the information. Suddenly, like Providence, the answer came to me.

Using Legimincy, I cast the thought of the missing factor to Harry and Miss Granger at the same time, masking the source of the thought. I did not dare to send the thought toward Minerva, she would have detected my mind link immediately. I could see that I got through, since Harry turned bright red at the thought of actually marrying Miss Weasley in secret. I gave a bit more detailed explanation to Miss Granger, making her believe that it was something that she 'remembered' from her readings on the subject. She suddenly started.

"I can't believe that I forgot about the Power of Three!" When Harry and Minerva looked at her in confusion, she quickly explained the concept, all the time thinking that it was something that she had read. With her reading habits, she may have been right.

"Hermione, do you think that Ginny would agree to that?" Harry asked. Since this revelation fit in with his own recent thoughts, he was eager to find out.

"Harry, you know she would. Ginny loves you so much that it sometimes hurts to listen to her. Being Mrs. Harry Potter is always on her mind, I sometimes wonder how she manages to get through her other duties so efficiently."

Minerva broke in. "I believe that we can find out her feeling on the matter now. Dobby!"

There was a POP, and Dobby the House-elf appeared in the room. "You sent for Dobby Headmistress?"

"Yes Dobby. I want you to locate Miss Ginny Weasley and bring her here. Tell her that it is very important."

"Yes Headmistress." Dobby looked over where I was standing, and his eyes widened. I had forgotten that House-elves could see through invisibility cloaks, much as Alistair Moody could with his magical eye. I held a finger to my lips and silently pleaded with Dobby not to reveal my presence. He gave me a quick nod and a large wink. My secret was safe with him. He then disappeared, reappearing at the door with Miss Weasley less than five minutes later. I thought to myself that he was one very efficient elf. Bringing her into the office, he glanced at me again, winked slyly and disappeared.

Minerva got down to business. She explained the missing element of the spell to Miss Weasley. I saw Ginny begin to blush, then it appeared that she was growing angry. Appearances were, in this case, not deceiving.

**"Harry James Potter!** I have loved you since I was 10 years old, and until last year, had no idea that you thought of me as anything but 'Ron's little sister'! Now I am asked if I will marry you, but not by you!? Professor McGonagall asks me? Just where the bloody hell do you stand in all of this? I refuse to be used just to make a spell more effective!"

"Ginny, please! I love you with every bit of my body and soul. I was planning to ask you to marry me when the war was over. I am terrified that I will lose you." Harry walked over to Ginny and took her hand. "Ginny, whether or not the spell is effective does not matter as much as the fact that I love you and can't live without you. Will you marry me?"

Miss Weasley broke out in tears. "Of course I will, you idiot! But what will we tell Mum? She will kill both of us if we elope."

"Miss Weasley, please leave that up to me," said Minerva. "I will make the arrangements with the Minister to come here before we leave for the Ministry to destroy the last Horcruxes. Go have dinner and come back here in a couple of hours."

After the students had left, Minerva walked over to my slumbering portrait. "Albus, I feel completely out of my depth here. I wish I knew just where you are. I would hand this office back to you in a heartbeat." She went over to the fireplace, took a pinch of Floo powder, tossed it into the fireplace and said, "Ministry of Magic!" She then stepped into the fireplace and disappeared.

After she had gone, the other Headmaster and Headmistress portraits began to scold me. I had forgotten that they, being magic constructs themselves, could also see past the invisibility cloak. I was beginning to think that this had been a singularly bad idea.

"Albus, just what do you mean by hiding out under that ridiculous cloak? I have not seen such irresponsibility in over 500 years!" This from my own Great-great-great grandfather, Brutus Dumbledore.

"Please! This is necessary. My day is past. I lost control of this situation a long time ago. Minerva is well equipped to take over, and I expect full cooperation from all of you. I would also appreciate it if you would keep this confidence until the time is right." They argued for quite a while longer, but in the end I prevailed and they agreed to remain silent, even if in some cases the agreement was given grudgingly. I decided to wait around and witness Harry and Ginny's binding ceremony. It would probably be the only one I would see if my part of the plan went awry.

The binding ceremony, performed by the Minister of Magic, was simple but beautiful. I silently applauded the young couple and made a note to myself to send them a wedding gift in secret at a later date.

After the participants had gone, I was getting ready to leave myself, when there was a POP and Dobby appeared.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, welcome back. You have everyone worried. Why do you do this?"

"Dobby, I just went through all of this with my colleagues on the walls here. I will have to ask you to trust me and to keep my secret. Professor McGonagall is now the Headmistress of Hogwarts, not I."

"Dobby can keep your secret unless Professor McGonagall asks me directly. Since you are not headmaster anymore, she is now Dobby's employer."

"I understand Dobby, I wouldn't want you to lie to Minerva and I wouldn't ask you to. I would ask you to avoid the subject if at all possible. By the way, do you know anything about Harry's sweat lodge?"

"Oh, yes, Professor! The great Harry Potter allowed me to go there with him one day. It was nice seeing Mr. Sirius Black again."

"Do you think I would be able to follow them there?"

"Dobby does not think so. Mr. Moody goes with them and he can see through your cloak. I think that Mr. Black would also be able to see you."

"I hadn't thought of that. Hmm… It seems that I am somewhat limited in my actions then. Oh, well, I suppose that I will just have to arrange something else or go there when I cannot be detected. Thank you Dobby. I will be going now." I bade him good-night and, using my cloak, made my way to the doors and left the school.

8

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
The Forbidden Forest_

It was dawning as I reached the area of the Forbidden Forest where I was headed. My route had not been straightforward, very little was nowadays. In order to obtain the information I needed, I had to use guile and deception. It had meant having to fool one of my closest friends, a man who almost worshipped me. It had all started at Madam Rosemerta's the previous night.

I sat at the table waiting for Hagrid to appear. There was very little chance that I would be recognized, I barely recognized myself. Having apparated to a muggle variety store in London, I had purchased hair dye and some grooming items. I also visited a barber shop and had my hair cut. Quickly making my way to the cottage in Brighton, I applied the black hair dye to my hair and my now-shortened beard. The cutting of the beard was the hardest part, it was now only an inch long. I felt truly naked without it. At least after this was over I could re-grow it. Providing that I survived, that is. Now dressed in a nondescript black robe that had seen it's better days, I sipped my tankard of mead and waited. I had also purchased some brown contact lenses at a pharmacy to change what everyone described as my 'twinkling blue eyes'. Glancing at a mirror, I could no longer see Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts.

The door opened and Hagrid ducked down to enter the doorway. Holding my wand under the table, I muttered a slight compulsion spell to 'convince' him to take a seat at the table next to mine. Striding over, he nodded pleasantly at me and ordered a tankard of ale for himself as he sat. Lowering my voice to a growl, we chatted about the weather, (miserable) and other such mundane subjects. I mentioned that I had heard a report in the muggle newspaper that there had been earthquake activity in the area. He laughed bitterly and commented that it was not an earthquake, but rather giants who had taken up residence deep in the forbidden forest. I then received a shock.

"Aye, You-Know-Who has brought in giants to help him. They have all gone over to his side, all but me little brother, Grawp."

Now this was news. I had no idea that Hagrid had connected with his brother while on the mission for me last year. That and to bring him back where he could harm a student! Had I still been Headmaster, I would have had a serious talk with him. With my present mission however, I felt like kissing him. This could be used to my advantage. I could very possibly turn around and get rid of all of the giants at once, including Grawp.

"What was your name again, Hagrid? I have always liked giants, I think that they have been terribly misunderstood over the years." I laid it on thick knowing that I was getting on Hagrid's good side.

"Exactly! An if Perfessor Dumbledore was alive, he woulda said the same thing! Greatest wizard ever." A tear began rolling down his cheek and I began to feel decidedly uncomfortable. Not only would I have NOT said the same thing, but I was nervous having giants in the same time zone, let alone that close to Hogwarts.

Hagrid was carrying on about how civilized that his brother, Grawp was becoming, so naturally I asked to meet him. By this time we had become good friends, or at least drinking buddies. He hesitated, but after four more rounds of drinks, with me buying, he was ready to agree to anything. I paid the tab and we left. I decided to leave an anti-hangover potion at Hagrid's, he would be needing it in the morning.

We walked out of Hogsmeade and up to his house. Of course, Fang recognized me immediately and gave me his usual sloppy greetings. Fortunately Hagrid was too intoxicated to notice. He gathered up a pack with some food items for Grawp and we headed into the forest. My first thought when I saw Grawp was that I had been giving Hagrid much too little supervision. My second thought was how much I admired his ingenuity in smuggling a _GIANT, for Maker's sake_ all the way across Europe and into Scotland.

I chatted, if you could call it that, with Grawp as he ate his meal of a roasted lamb, then picked his teeth with a tree branch. He kept giving me sly looks, then glancing over at Hagrid and shaking his head as if he knew something that Hagrid didn't. This made me somewhat nervous, so I told Hagrid that it was time for me to be going. As we were walking back to his house, I asked him where the rogue giants working for Voldemort were.

"Ah, they're farther back in the forest. Best to avoid them. A mean bunch what probably has got Death Eaters with them." He stooped, drew a quick map in the dirt, and pointed out the location.

Arriving back at his house, I bade him good-night, then made like I was headed back to Hogsmeade, hiding behind some large pumpkins until I saw his light go out. I quickly made my way back in to Grawp's enclosure. He spotted me, sat down and looked at me intently.

"Haggar tell Grawp bout you. You be Dumbore, Haggar's Gurg. Why you no tell Haggar you not dead?"

I was shocked. This was one perceptive giant! I was going to have to step carefully around him. "Grawp, there is a bad wizard who would like to kill Hagrid and a lot of others. He is planning to use your tribe to hurt people and let the giants take the blame. He promises a lot, but he is a liar. He hates giants and would like nothing better than to see them destroyed." I spoke rationally to Grawp. He had convinced me that he was a rational, reasoning creature, if a bit overenthusiastic in his responses. I looked forward to rewriting the literature on Giants when this ordeal was over.

Grawp roared in anger. "Grawp no let the bad man hurt Haggar. Haggar is Grawp's Gurg."

"Then just maybe you can help me. Would you like to do that?" Grawp nodded in assent, so I then told him my plan. As I was leaving, I asked him just how he knew who I was. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Just know." It seemed that I would get nothing more from him on the subject.

I headed farther into the forest to attempt to spy out the location of the giants. As I walked into an unfamiliar area, an arrow thunked into the tree next to me.

"Human, why do you dare trespass into our forest?" I turned around and spotted Bane, a centaur with whom I had dealings in the past. Before I could reply, his eyes widened in recognition.

"Oh, its you, Dumbledore. I like your new look. But why are you slinking around here and why aren't you dead? I went to your funeral."

I exploded. "How the bloody hell does everyone know who I am when I have done so much to hide it? House elves, ghosts, giants and now centaurs! You recognize me when I don't recognize myself!"

A new voice, a female one, broke in. "Bane, I told you that he wasn't ripe enough to plant." She turned toward me. "It was your aura. You cannot hide that much power, no matter how you disguise it. I don't know how the giant spotted you, but we use the aura. The house elf probably did also. Now about those giants, they are really causing havoc here. Can't you do something to get rid of them? We could kill the wizards who are with them, but I don't really want to have a foot race with a giant who wants to step on me."

I bowed to the female centaur, whose name was Aurora. "That is what I'm working on. I may have to lead another giant through here to the main encampment. If it works though, I should have all of the giants out in a few days, along with their wizard keepers." We spoke a while longer, Aurora and Bane giving me much needed recon intelligence on the giant camp. I left feeling much better about the whole situation.


	4. When a Plan Comes Together

**Chapter 4**

**When a Plan Comes Together**

_Grawp's Enclosure_

_The Forbidden Forest_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

For the past week, I had been staying with Hagrid's 'little' brother, Grawp. It had been the most enlightening experience of my life. I had never realized the extent of the complex society that the giants had built over the years, although I should have had some hints. After all, the muggle religious literature I had once studied held a myriad of clues. From the description of Goliath in the bible, it was obvious that he was, like my friend Hagrid, a half-giant, being only about 9 feet tall. He had fit in well with the advanced society of the Philistines, much like Hagrid interacted with ours. The people then believed him to be a full giant since he was the largest they had seen. It was only the fact that full blood giants were invisible to non-magic folk that they held that inaccurate belief.

My original plan had involved a lot of possible bloodshed, however after my time with Grawp, I could not go through with the plan. The giants were not malicious per se, they were victims of the lies of Voldemort. The giants themselves were honest and upfront, if naturally violent within their own society, and had no real suspicion when Tom made his empty promises. It was by guile that they had arrived in this conflict, it would be by guile that they would leave it. As far as Voldemort's Death Eaters who were tending the giants, I had no such mercy. I would have to destroy them in order to keep Voldemort from realizing that he no longer had the support of the giants.

The first part of the plan was carried out with Grawp's assistance. He allowed me to use Legimency while he brought up visions of all of his tribe's females. I had found out that Voldemort had only brought male giants to the conflict, leaving the females to tend the home fires. This enforced absence of female companionship had the effect of making the males that much more aggressive. Once I had solid mental pictures of the different females of the tribe, I set the second part into play. I transfigured Grawp's tattered clothes into what would be considered high fashion. I also supplied Grawp with a giant sized pull cart loaded with numerous bolts of fabric of all sorts and patterns. I then sent him on his way with instructions to stop by the giant's camp in the forest and tell them that he was leaving the forest, and that he would not be opposing them. He was to leave at that point and return back to his home.

Grawp had told me that he missed his homeland, dangerous as it was. He had only come with Hagrid out of curiosity, but that he was homesick. He was only staying in order to protect Hagrid, but when I promised to protect him, he took me at my word and asked me to leave a message for his brother that his visit was over and he was going home. I knew that Hagrid would be crushed, but the consequences of Grawp and Hagrid being in the thick of battle against much larger, more aggressive giants would probably be fatal. I followed Grawp to the camp, watched him give the message, and watched as his tribesmen bade him a relieved farewell. They were not really concerned that Grawp would be a threat, considering him puny, but they did not like the idea of having to kill a tribesman for any other reason than the normal tribal rivalries. I then settled down to give Grawp as long of a head start as possible. I was using Fawkes to keep me informed of what was happening with the assault team at Hogwarts.

_The Giant's Camp_

_Two Days Later_

I was beginning to wonder when I would hear from the assault team when Fawkes opened up our connection with an urgency that I had not felt for a while. It seemed that he had followed Harry to the sweat lodge at Godric's Hollow and listened in on a strategy session between Harry and Sirius. He sent me a verbatim memory from the meeting.

"_So, have you decided when you are going to challenge Voldemort?"_

"I have been letting him stew in his own juices for a while. He went spare when he found Nagini gone and the Riddle Manor burned to the ground. He ought to be just about ready to try to put me away by now. Everyone says they're ready, we've trained until we can go through it in our sleep."

"_If I could make a suggestion…. Halloween is in three days. What better time for justice to be delivered than on the day that he killed your parents?" _

"You know, that may not be a bad idea. The only thing that I'm worried about is the giants. I don't know where they are right now. A couple of weeks ago they were in Scotland, but they've had enough time to be just about anywhere by now. Hagrid found traces of them in the Forbidden Forest, and the centaurs have been keeping a loose watch on then, but I haven't heard anything in a few days." Harry explained. "That is why I need Dumbledore. He would probably know something that would give us an edge."

The two talked for a short while longer, then Sirius returned to the Spirit World and Harry went out to join his guards.

It was now time to put the rest of the plan in action. Using Legimency, I chose a giant at random and sent mind pictures of his tribe's females with hints about how lonely they were. I then sent him a picture of Grawp dressed in his finery with his pull cart of what could only be presents for those same lonely females. I watched as a scowl darkened his face, then watched in fascination as his mind began connecting the dots to draw a picture of Grawp showering the females with gifts and building a harem of all of the tribe's available females, leaving the larger giants out in the cold.

I then took that giant's mental pictures and began placing them, one at a time, in the minds of all of the other tribesmen, then sat back to watch the results. I was not disappointed, they were spectacular. One at a time, they began to get to their feet, muttering such words as 'sneak' and 'thief'. They began picking up their belongings, alerting the Death Eaters to the fact that something was afoot. A Bulgarian Death Eater confronted the Gurg, demanding to know what was happening. The Gurg told him that they were going home, then turned to leave. The Death Eaters then did something that would go down in the annals of stupid moves. They attempted to stun the giants to hold them there by force.

The results were something of which the muggle scientist Darwin would have been proud. By this extreme act of stupidity, the Death Eaters cleansed their little corner of the gene pool by removing themselves from it. Having forgotten about the giant's natural resistance to many offensive spells, they were caught completely off guard when their spells only enraged the targets. The giants turned as one to crush the Death Eaters beneath their feet, grinding them into the ground until they were unrecognizable. Within minutes, the entire tribe was gone into the depths of the forest.

I took the next few minutes speaking with Bane and the Centaur tribe, telling them that the giants were leaving, the Death Eaters were dead, and asking them to give a clear path to the retreating giants. My plan was to follow the giants and stretch their journey out by obscuring their path and at the same time, prevent Voldemort's forces from bringing them back into the battle, keeping the giants moving by reinforcing their suspicion of Grawp's intentions. Once I got them out of Voldemort's sphere of influence, I would start to lessen their animosity of Grawp so he would not be in any additional danger when the tribe arrived home. Hopefully, by the time they arrived, they would see him as a non-threat, one too weak to battle.

_Godric's Hollow_

_Halloween_

Having escorted the giant tribe as far as eastern France, I checked in with Fawkes just hours before the battle was due to begin. I knew that Voldemort would not be able to catch up with the giants on the route I had sent them, and even if he could, there was no way that he could transport them to the battleground at Godric's Hollow or back to my beloved Hogwarts. They were effectively out of the equation. I had a detailed vision of how the battle was to be carried out, and had even been able to plant one helpful thought in Harry's mind using Fawkes as an invisible go-between. It seems that Harry had plans to use Godric's sword in the battle, but knowing that the battle was to be inside a null-magic field, I was able to drop the hint that Harry should use a muggle sword, since Godric's sword would be non-responsive inside the null area at best, and non-corporeal at worst. Harry was never sure just from where that tidbit of information had originated, and I surely was not going to tell him. It was at this time that I wished that I could control my own portrait. I would have been able to freely give advice, but this was not to be.

Using a combination of portkeys and apparition, I made my way to Godric's Hollow, arriving less than fifteen minutes prior to the arrival of Harry and his team. I levitated myself up into the upper branches of an old oak tree where I would be higher up than the null-magic field, then cast a disillusion spell on myself. Soon after I got settled in, the assault team came in using a portkey. As they headed toward the sweat lodge, Alistair Moody veered off.

"You go ahead. I am going to stay out here and set up the anti-apparition wards and keep an eye out here, so to speak."

"Need any help?" Tonks asked.

"No, just go on and I'll join you in a bit." With this, the rest of the team entered the sweat lodge while Moody began setting the wards. Once that was finished, he walked the perimeter, coming to a stop directly underneath my perch. He never looked up, but then again, he didn't really need to.

"Hello, Albus. I was wondering when you would show up. I'm just surprised that it took so long."

I smiled. "Now I can die knowing that I have done everything, including surprising Alistair 'Mad-Eye' Moody. How long have you known?"

"Since the day you left your tomb. I happened to be there looking through the walls when Fawkes took you out. I had been wondering why your portrait had not awakened. Then there was the fact that Fawkes was sitting invisible in every planning meeting. I assume that you have been doing some behind the scenes work?"

"Yes, the only possible flaw that no one had covered was the giant involvement. I just took care of that. Oh, and I dropped a hint that Godric's sword would not work in a null-magic field."

"Kind of thought that had your wand print on it. Makes sense though, since that sword is a magical construct. Glad you took care of the giants though. I had been worried about that. Are you planning to show yourself?"

"No, not unless everything goes to hell. The plan is a good one, it doesn't need me sticking my fingers in it. It is my fault that Riddle ever got powerful. I saw his character when I visited him in the orphanage to give him his Hogwarts letter. I should have bound his powers and obliviated him then. Instead, I taught him what he needed to know to terrorize generations of people."

Moody snorted. "Yeah, both you and Potter have that damned 'saving people' thing, as Granger describes it. The only difference is that Potter tries to save lives, you try to save souls. Face it, Albus. You're a wizard, not a damned priest. Save lives and leave the souls up to the Maker to sort out. He's been doing it a lot longer."

"I'll keep that in mind. Meanwhile, I plan to sit in my perch and keep quiet unless I am needed. This is Harry's show, my day is past."

"I'll keep my mouth shut then. It is a relief that we have a back up plan, just in case. I'll leave you to your own devices then."

"Alistair, if everything works out alright, I will leave a portkey up here on this branch that will bring you to my cottage. We can have a drink and talk over old times."

"I'll look forward to it. And Albus…."

"Yes, Alistair?"

"Constant Vigilance!"

"Constant Vigilance, old friend."

It was several hours later that Harry and the assault team left the sweat lodge and positioned themselves for the battle. Dudley Dursley climbed a tree below and to the right of me. I then watched as events unfolded.

_**POPPOP POP POP** The Death Eaters and Voldemort appeared in the meadow outside of the sweat lodge. Harry's team, sans Dudley, were behind various points of protection. They had to make sure that all of the enemy was in place. Suddenly from the upper branches of a tree came a shout._

"_**AUFERO VENEFICUS!!!"** This was called out by Dudley from under Harry's invisibility cloak. Immediately Harry felt the loss of something.. He could tell from the expressions on the faces of Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange that the spell was successful. The rest of his team came out from behind their hiding places holding one litre squirt bottles. Neville led the charge. He ran up to Bellatrix as she desperately attempted to cast a spell in what was now a null-magic area. Neville held out the squirt bottle and sprayed Bellatrix directly in the eyes._

_The effect was drastic. As the pure habenero pepper juice hit her eyes, blinding her, she screamed in pain. From inside his robes, Neville pulled a wooden billy club and, with all his might, hit Bellatrix right in the teeth while yelling, "YOU BITCH! This is for my parents!" Two more hits from the billy left Bella unconscious on the ground. Neville quickly stripped her of her wands, both the main one and her back up, then using the flex cuffs, trussed her up so that she could not move if she did come to. He then went after another Death Eater._

_All around, the same situation was happening with the other team members. Lupin, Tonks, Mad-Eye, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were actively taking the battle to the enemy. Dudley was still in the tree holding the spell that robbed the power from the battle zone. Harry tried listening for the telltale crack of trees falling that would herald the arrival of the giants, but never heard anything. Death Eaters, seeing that they were losing a battle that they did not know how to fight, tried to get away, but any magic that they attempted in order to leave also did not work. The same for portkeys and brooms. They were now no different from muggles. The dead zone was also too large to run out of to escape. They were faced with the fact that all they had as weapons were oddly shaped sticks and their fists. One squirt from the spray bottle of pepper juice in the eyes would immobilize them, then all the defender had to do was billy club them and truss them up._

_In this vein, Harry walked boldly up to Voldemort, hands empty. Voldemort sneered. "What, no bottle of whatever potion the others are using? Why the special treatment?"_

"_I want you to see it all coming, Tom. I want to make sure that you feel everything." With that, Harry brought up his fists and smashed Voldemort in the face. "That one is for my Dad. Another punch. "And my Mum". As Harry moved in, hard fists smashing in with 16 years of anger and months of training by Dudley in the art of boxing, he drove Voldemort back while saying the names of everyone who he knew to be dead at Voldemort's hand._

_As Voldemort went down on one knee, he dropped his wand and, reaching in his robes, pulled out a dagger. He lunged forward and Harry jumped back out of the way. Harry was sure that the dagger would be poisoned, and he could not afford even a scratch._

_Voldemort staggered to his feet, sneering. "Now you will die, boy. Did you really think that you could kill me by brawling with your fists? I'll be eating your heart!"_

"_I don't think so, Tom." With that, Harry reached back between his shoulder blades and drew his katana sword from its sheath. Bringing it in front of him, he slashed down and severed Voldemort's hand holding the dagger. As Voldemort screamed and grabbed his arm to stop the blood flow, Harry spun around and sliced at the back of Voldemort's knees. Voldemort fell face down on the ground. Harry then brought up his sword over his head._

"_Tom Riddle, for crimes against humanity, multiple murders of both wizards and muggles, you have been tried by the Wizengamot and sentenced to death. By authorization by the Wizengamot and the Ministry of Magic, I hereby pronounce and carry out that sentence." With that, Harry swung the sword downward towards Voldemort's exposed neck. The razor sharp sword bit into the flesh and cleanly severed the head, digging into the ground a good 2 inches. He then kicked the head away from the body._

_Smoke arose from Voldemort's body and it began to decompose right in front of Harry's eyes. He stood, fascinated, as the flesh fell off the bones and a putrid odor arose. Tearing his eyes away, he saw that his combat team had disabled all of the opposition. The Death Eaters were tied up with the flex cuffs and all of their wands had been collected and broken._

"_Dirt Eaters! Here is your Master!" Harry shouted. He grabbed the hood of Voldemort's robe and pulled the stinking corpse into a sitting position. He saw Bellatrix's eyes open in shock. Ginny was standing next to Bella, and as Lestrange began to scream, she stuck Bella in the buttocks with a hypodermic needle. A few seconds later, Bella's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed, unconscious once again. This procedure was repeated with each of the remaining Death Eaters. When the last one had dropped to the ground, unconscious, Dudley reversed the magic nullification spell._

_**RESTITUO PONDERA!!**_

_With that, the magic flooded back into the area. Dudley, exhausted from holding the spell for so long, fell from his branch in the tree and collapsed on the ground. Ginny hurried over to him with a restorative potion. A few seconds later and he looked much better. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Lupin and Neville were going around the prisoners and turning their flexcuffs into portkeys that would transport them directly to the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry. They purposely saved Bella and Lucius until last. As they turned the last prisoner's cuffs into portkeys, Neville grabbed hold of Bella's cuffs while Lupin did the same with Lucius' cuffs. The four promptly disappeared._

_Harry walked over to Voldemort's body, looked around, then picked up Riddle's wand. He immediately felt the power travel through, no wonder since it was identical to his own. He tucked it into his pocket, then turned Voldemort's robe into a portkey, and, taking hold of the cowl in one hand and the head in the other, took the body to the Ministry._

From my story, 'The Best Defense'

After the battlefield had been vacated, I called for Fawkes and had him take me to my cottage, leaving a nice wooly sock as a portkey for Alistair. I then began to pack, leaving out only a bottle of firewhisky and two glasses. A few minutes after I was finished, Alistair appeared. He walked over to the table, picked up the glasses and bottle, checking them for threats. He then opened the bottle and filled the glasses, then handed me one.

We sat for quite a while just enjoying each other's company. After about an hour, Alistair cleared his throat.

"So, Albus. What are your plans?"

"I plan to enjoy something that I have never experienced, that being obscurity. Since I was a young man, I have been carrying a reputation somewhat like Harry. I am tired and just want a nice quiet retirement. I do plan to do some writing however. I am going to study the giant tribe for a bit, I believe that I will be able to rewrite the existing literature on the species. After that, who knows?"

"I'll be looking forward to reading the books. Have you decided where you will live?"

"Someplace warm, I believe. Someplace that I will not need wooly socks. And you?"

"You know me, I'll die in the saddle. In the short run. I will be going to teach DADA at Hogwarts. Maybe now that Voldemort is dead the curse on the job will be broken."

The bottle finished, we said our good-byes, Alistair leaving for Hogwarts, me leaving to follow the giants.

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_Office of the Headmistress_

_Five years later_

The fireplace glowed green, and the head of Harry Potter appeared. "Minerva, may I come through?"

"Of course, Harry."

The fire flared and Harry Potter stepped through into the office. He was greeted by the sight of Minerva McGonagall and Mad-Eye Moody sitting in the office with a goblin who he recognized as Griphook, his account manager.

"I got your message, What's the problem?"

Griphook stood up. "Mr. Potter, we are here for the reading of Albus Dumbledore's will."

Harry was stunned. It had been almost 6 years since the Headmaster was buried, and six months since Aberforth had died in St. Mungo's. The ministry had attempted to seize Albus' vaults, only to find that they had already been emptied, the assets gone. It was one of the biggest mysteries that he, as head of the MLEO had investigated, with no solution to the case. The goblins had been extremely tight-lipped on the case, citing customer confidentiality oaths. Harry took a seat.

Griphook took out a piece of parchment. "Mr. Dumbledore left the bulk of his fortune to Hogwarts in order to give scholarships to any witch or wizard who cannot afford a quality magical education otherwise. Those assets have already been transferred to the Hogwarts vault. As for the three of you, he left each of you some personal mementos in these three trunks. In addition, he has left Mr. Moody his home, the unplottable Hidden Cottage. The means to access the cottage are in your trunk, Mr. Moody. Now, if you could each sign this will to validate that you have received your property, we can finish up here."

Receiving the signatures, Griphook left the office to the thoughts of the three friends of Albus. Harry opened up his trunk to find many of the devices that had been in Dumbledore's office when he was Headmaster. There were also two books, preproduction editions, the first being called "_Overrated. The Autobiography of Albus Dumbledore", _and the other called _"And Here Be Giants, Travels with the Tribe, by Albus Dumbledore"_. There was also a sealed envelope addressed to him. Opening it, he read;

_Dear Harry;_

_I once told you that to a well ordered mind, death is just the next great adventure. I have begun that new journey, however I wanted to leave you something to remind you of the high esteem in which I hold you. You have no need for more galleons, sickles or knuts, but you do deserve the truth. _

_I failed you, Harry. I kept you in the dark and did not prepare you properly. I also treated you not as a rational fellow human being, but rather as a weapon to save our world. I did not figure in the possibility that I would come to love you as the son I never had. It was shame that drove me out of wizarding Britain. I wrote my autobiography as an atonement for my arrogance. Please read it and do not make the same mistakes._

_I have also left you my Family House ring. The title of Lord Dumbledore is vacated, I have no blood heirs. The ring is to remember me by. There are no perks that go with the ring, it is now just an ancient piece of jewelry. One of the newer Houses will take my place in the Wizengamot, the Dumbledore line is now part of history._

_Your friend,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Harry sat there hunched over, racked with tears. He was not the only one. Minerva and Alistair were also deep in thought. He looked in the envelope and saw a photo of Albus, beard shorn and wearing brightly coloured swim trunks with phoenixes printed on them. He was sitting on a beach holding a tall tropical drink with a pink paper umbrella. There was also a young lady feeding him bites of fruit. The scene was so funny that he started snickering, then broke out in a full laugh. When the others looked at him strangely, he showed them the picture. They also began laughing. A voice from the portrait behind him startled Harry.

"_Hello, Harry"_

**Fin**


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